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Parnassus #1
Parnassus on Wheels
Roger Mifflin is part pixie, part sage, part noble savage, and all God's creature.
With his traveling book wagon named Parnassus, he moves through the New England countryside of 1915 on an itinerant mission of enlightenment.
Mifflin's delight in books and authors is infectious--with his singular philosophy and bright eyes, he comes to represent the heart and soul of the book world.
But a certain spirited spinster, disgruntled with her life, may have a hand in changing all that.
This roaring good adventure yarn is spiced with fiery roadside brawls, heroic escapes from death, the most groaning boards in the history of Yankee cookery, and a rare love story--not to mention a glimpse at a feminist perspective from the early 1900s.
With his traveling book wagon named Parnassus, he moves through the New England countryside of 1915 on an itinerant mission of enlightenment.
Mifflin's delight in books and authors is infectious--with his singular philosophy and bright eyes, he comes to represent the heart and soul of the book world.
But a certain spirited spinster, disgruntled with her life, may have a hand in changing all that.
This roaring good adventure yarn is spiced with fiery roadside brawls, heroic escapes from death, the most groaning boards in the history of Yankee cookery, and a rare love story--not to mention a glimpse at a feminist perspective from the early 1900s.
152 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1917
340 people are currently reading
13196 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Morley
428books189followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the ŷ database with this name.
American writer Christopher Darlington Morley founded the Saturday Review, from 1924 to 1940 edited it, and prolifically, most notably authored popular novels.
Christopher Morley, a journalist, essayist, and poet, also produced on stage for a few years and gave college lectures.
American writer Christopher Darlington Morley founded the Saturday Review, from 1924 to 1940 edited it, and prolifically, most notably authored popular novels.
Christopher Morley, a journalist, essayist, and poet, also produced on stage for a few years and gave college lectures.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,141 reviews
May 3, 2018
This is a pilot for a new feel-good tv series:
Opening Credits:
It is a glorious morning on a deserted track somewhere in the rural Midwest. Rolling on the lane is a long gypsy-type wagon being pulled by a great big horse. On the open seat up front holding the reins is a cheery man of middle years with kind brown eyes who is laughing gently in a conversational kind of way with a fat, rather plain but very jolly lady. They are wearing clothes of the era when cars and wagons shared the roads, 1917.
Introduction:
The woman and her older brother have been happily managing their isolated farm together until the brother publishes a book and its success makes him uppity in the extreme. While he swans around being famous, she is left at home running the farm. This is seriously annoying her.
A travelling salesmen, selling books, comes to her door saying he is not just selling books but also his travelling bookstore. He wonders if her brother, the famous author, be interested in buying it? He wants to leave bookselling to go back to the city to write his book.
He shows her his wonderful, magical wagon full of all the necessities for life on the road and shelves and shelves of books. She jumps at the chance and deciding to spend her life savings and take over the business herself. So leaving a note for her brother telling him to look after himself, she closes the front door behind her, jumps on to the seat next to the bookseller and off they go.
Further scenes in the first episode
Much dialogue between the bookseller and the spinster laying out the history of their lives. He is a city man, a professor who wants to write a book. He is passionate about the ability of books to change lives for the better. She's a bit of a disappointed spinster who counts her successes in hens' eggs laid and wholesome loaves baked.
Scenes include:
1. Making the first sale.
2. The caravan being stolen and the bookseller turns out to be handy with his fists.
3. Drama over the cheque for payment being cancelled by the pissed-off brother.
3. A bank scene, an arrest, and a false imprisonment.
The denoument
Love. The stranger with a get-out-of-jail-free-card. The inevitable marriage and then the final winning over the brother. All say ahhhhh.
Can't you just see it? It was just made for tv. The late Mike Landon would have been perfect casting.
Brilliant, lovely, heart-warming book. Beautifully-written without any suspense at all. Each rather obvious episode gives warning of what is to come next and the whole thing unfolds in a pastoral, slower-times, comfy, apple-pie kind of way. A nice book to read curled up on the sofa with a cup of tea or a hot toddy to hand and nothing to do for hours and hours.
Rewritten 24 August 2013
Opening Credits:
It is a glorious morning on a deserted track somewhere in the rural Midwest. Rolling on the lane is a long gypsy-type wagon being pulled by a great big horse. On the open seat up front holding the reins is a cheery man of middle years with kind brown eyes who is laughing gently in a conversational kind of way with a fat, rather plain but very jolly lady. They are wearing clothes of the era when cars and wagons shared the roads, 1917.
Introduction:
The woman and her older brother have been happily managing their isolated farm together until the brother publishes a book and its success makes him uppity in the extreme. While he swans around being famous, she is left at home running the farm. This is seriously annoying her.
A travelling salesmen, selling books, comes to her door saying he is not just selling books but also his travelling bookstore. He wonders if her brother, the famous author, be interested in buying it? He wants to leave bookselling to go back to the city to write his book.
He shows her his wonderful, magical wagon full of all the necessities for life on the road and shelves and shelves of books. She jumps at the chance and deciding to spend her life savings and take over the business herself. So leaving a note for her brother telling him to look after himself, she closes the front door behind her, jumps on to the seat next to the bookseller and off they go.
Further scenes in the first episode
Much dialogue between the bookseller and the spinster laying out the history of their lives. He is a city man, a professor who wants to write a book. He is passionate about the ability of books to change lives for the better. She's a bit of a disappointed spinster who counts her successes in hens' eggs laid and wholesome loaves baked.
Scenes include:
1. Making the first sale.
2. The caravan being stolen and the bookseller turns out to be handy with his fists.
3. Drama over the cheque for payment being cancelled by the pissed-off brother.
3. A bank scene, an arrest, and a false imprisonment.
The denoument
Love. The stranger with a get-out-of-jail-free-card. The inevitable marriage and then the final winning over the brother. All say ahhhhh.
Can't you just see it? It was just made for tv. The late Mike Landon would have been perfect casting.
Brilliant, lovely, heart-warming book. Beautifully-written without any suspense at all. Each rather obvious episode gives warning of what is to come next and the whole thing unfolds in a pastoral, slower-times, comfy, apple-pie kind of way. A nice book to read curled up on the sofa with a cup of tea or a hot toddy to hand and nothing to do for hours and hours.
Rewritten 24 August 2013
October 20, 2020
This is an old-fashioned, sweet novella published in 1917, about a self-described "fat old woman" (she's only 39) who's never done anything but work as a governess and, later, cook and keep house for her bachelor brother, Andrew. Helen is content with her existence until her brother decides to start writing books about the joys of country life (he calls his first book Paradise Regained) and unexpectedly becomes a celebrity author. Suddenly he's a big "literary man," traveling around looking for inspiration for his next book, not helping around the farm, and taking Helen completely for granted. When Roger Mifflin, a short, little balding man with a red beard, drives up to her farmhouse in a horse-drawn wagon filled with books, wondering if her brother might be interested in buying Roger out so he can retire and write a book, that is just the last straw for Helen.
So she buys the book wagon herself.
Helen writes her brother a flippant good-bye note, and she and Roger take off in Parnassus, the name of the bookmobile. Roger intends to show Helen the ropes for a day and then leave, but it turns out he has a hard time leaving the itinerant bookseller lifestyle behind. Andrew is hopping mad about his sister's shenanigans and is doing his best to throw wrenches into the works. And is that a smidgen of romance in the air?
The story is told in a folksy voice. It's simple but filled with gentle humor, and with love for books, and life, and the life that books bring to us.
Don't let my 3-star rating put you off if this old-fashioned kind of story sounds good to you. It's not a great novel, but it's a fun little blast from the past. Those are affectionate stars that I gave out here, even if there are only three of them.
So she buys the book wagon herself.
Helen writes her brother a flippant good-bye note, and she and Roger take off in Parnassus, the name of the bookmobile. Roger intends to show Helen the ropes for a day and then leave, but it turns out he has a hard time leaving the itinerant bookseller lifestyle behind. Andrew is hopping mad about his sister's shenanigans and is doing his best to throw wrenches into the works. And is that a smidgen of romance in the air?
The story is told in a folksy voice. It's simple but filled with gentle humor, and with love for books, and life, and the life that books bring to us.
A good book ought to have something simple about it. And, like Eve, it ought to come from somewhere near the third rib: there ought to be a heart beating in it. A story that's all forehead doesn't amount to much.Thanks to Dorcas (my source for many lovely old reads) for the heads up on this one! I love friends who find these obscure older books and review them on ŷ, so I can go grab them for free on Gutenberg.org or somewhere, and read them myself.
Don't let my 3-star rating put you off if this old-fashioned kind of story sounds good to you. It's not a great novel, but it's a fun little blast from the past. Those are affectionate stars that I gave out here, even if there are only three of them.
August 10, 2020
Una lectura corta pero genial, de esas que no quieres que se acaben. Entrañable, divertida... ¡Me he pasado sus casi 200 páginas sin parar de sonreír!
La historia sigue a una mujer de casi 40 años, que vive con su hermano en una granja dedicada a las tareas del hogar. De pronto un día un librero ambulante se detiene en su casa y nuestra protagonista ni corta ni perezosa decide comprarse ese carromato repleto de libros y darse unas buenas vacaciones.
Fue publicada originalmente en 1917, aunque por el carácter de los personajes y ciertas situaciones me daba la impresión de estar leyendo una novela muy posterior, y el autor a pesar de ser norteamericano destila humor inglés por los cuatro costados.
En fin, una lectura maravillosa, sencilla... sobre la literatura, la amistad, el amor y vivir aventuras inesperadas después de los 40.
Deseando estoy ya de hacerme con su secuela 'La libería encantada' :)
La historia sigue a una mujer de casi 40 años, que vive con su hermano en una granja dedicada a las tareas del hogar. De pronto un día un librero ambulante se detiene en su casa y nuestra protagonista ni corta ni perezosa decide comprarse ese carromato repleto de libros y darse unas buenas vacaciones.
Fue publicada originalmente en 1917, aunque por el carácter de los personajes y ciertas situaciones me daba la impresión de estar leyendo una novela muy posterior, y el autor a pesar de ser norteamericano destila humor inglés por los cuatro costados.
En fin, una lectura maravillosa, sencilla... sobre la literatura, la amistad, el amor y vivir aventuras inesperadas después de los 40.
Deseando estoy ya de hacerme con su secuela 'La libería encantada' :)
May 23, 2024
خفيفة ورقيقة ولذيذة اوي
خلصتها تحت ضوء القمر ❤️
خلصتها تحت ضوء القمر ❤️
June 26, 2024
عندما تبيعين كتابا لرجل، فأنت لا تبيعينه مجرد اثنتي عشرة أوقية من الورق والحبر والصمغ، بل تبيعينه حياة جديدة بأكملها. الحب، والصداقة، والفكاهة، والسفن في عرض البحر ليلا، والسماء والأرض بأكملهما موجودان داخل كتاب، أعني بذلك الكتاب الحقيقي
هيلين ماكجيل سيدة تعيش في المزرعة مع اخوها اندرو. وصلت لاربع عقود من العمر وهي مقتنعة انها عجوز سمينة بلا مستقبل او احلام
تعيش حياتها منفردة بعد ما اصبح اخوها كاتب مشهور وكترت تنقلاته وتركها لوحدها مع الاعمال المنزلية الكثيرة وحبها للطبخ والخبز جدا
بيظهر في حياتها الاصهب القصير اللطيف ذو اللحية روجر ميفلين صاحب المكتبة المتنقلة يطلب يقابل اخوها لانه متأكد انه هيقدر يبيع له المكتبة لكن هنا بتنقلب حياة هيلين تماما بعد قرار مختلف عن طبيعتها يخليها لاول مرة تواجه حياة ومستقبل
رواية جميلة ومميزة جدا وبتبين قد ايه القدر بيكون شايل لينا احداث ما نتوقعهاش ممكن تقلب رتابة حياتنا لحياة جميلة زي ما بنتمنى وافضل كمان
ومن لا حياة لحياة مليانة حب ومغامرات وتجارب جديدة مميزة تخلينا لاول مرة نحس اننا على قيد الحياة بجد
شكرا للصديق زميل القراءات المميزة اسامة ابراهيم واختياره دايما لكلاسيكيات بتسيب علامة جوانا 😍💐
October 25, 2010
I'll admit to being sort of torn on how many stars to give this story. At times I feel like I'm a little too liberal with how I fling 5 stars around at book reviews. In this case, the story wasn't anything so complex. It was just a short, simple adventure vaguely reminiscent of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer if Tom Sawyer had really, really loved books. And been a woman. But I had so much fun reading it that I couldn't put the story down. It was short, sweet, and didn't try to be anything other than a fun little book lovers' book. The fact that I'm excited about reading the sequel was enough to push the story up and over the 4 stars that I might have given it for the straightforward story. I loved these characters, and I loved the simplicity, and I couldn't wait to read more. If that's not a 5 star read, then I'm not really sure what is...
June 29, 2024
"يالنا من ضحايا عبثيين للرغبات المتناقضة إذا استقر المرء في مكان واحد فإنه يتوق إلى التجوال وحينما يتجول فهو يتوق إلى أن يكون لديه سكن ومع ذلك فكم يبدو الرضا امرا حيوانيا إذ أن جميع الأشياء العظيم في الحياة يقوم بها أناس ساخطون.."
رواية كلاسيكية امريكية خفيفة !
وعلى غير العادة مش بتتكلم عن العنصرية او الحرب او خفايا وعيوب المجتمع الامريكي..
السيدة هيلين ماكجيل في ال ٣٩ من عمرها تعتبر نفسها عجوز بدينة لا تجيد الا أعمال المزرعة و الخبز والطهي، تعيش مع اخوها السيد اندرو ماكجيل الذي اصبح كاتبا مشهورا في الولاية ، ولكن تلك الكتب قوضت حياتهما الهادئة حيث اصبح يتجاهلها ويقوم بجولاته الخاصة تاركا اياها في المزرعة..
حتى يأتي اليوم الذي سيتغير فيه كل ذلك وستلعب الكتب ايضا الدور في ذلك...
"في كل مكان بينما نباشر مهامنا البسيطة علينا ان نميز بصمة الخطة الكبرى والنظام السرمدي المتناسق الذي ليست له بداية ولا نهاية حيث الموت ماهو إلا مقدمة لميلاد جديد والميلاد نذير مؤكد لموت آخر نحن البشر عاجزون عن تصور الدافع أو المغزى من كل ذلك كما يعجز الكلب عن فهم منطق تفكير سيده فهو يرى أعمال سيده خيرا أو شرا ويهز ذيله لكن دوما ما تكون أعمال سيده غامضة بالنسبة إليه وهذه هي الحال معنا.."
الرواية تحمل معنى جميل عن الحياة انه سوف دائما سيأتي اليوم الذي سندرك فيه أهميتنا وأهمية الحياة وان في الحياة اشياء اخرى كثيرة لفعلها ومشاعر كثيرة لنحسّها.. وأن الروتين الذي سخطنا منه ليس بالضرورة نكرهه وانما نريد فقط ان نرى ابعاد اخرى من الحياة...
"كأي شخص آخر على هذا الكوكب انتهى الصيف ولم نعد شبابا لكن كانت هناك أشياء عظيمة في انتظارنا استمعت الى قطرات المطر والى الصرير المنتظم الذي يصدره محور عجلات المكتبة المتنقلة.."
ال ٥ نجوم لانها لمست شيئا في قلبي وامتعتني في وقت عصيب..
شكرا لرفيقة القراءة سارة سمير على المشاركة..
July 28, 2015
What is a good book?
".…A good book ought to have something simple about it. And, like Eve, it ought to come from somewhere near the third rib; there ought to be a heart beating in it."
Check, check and check.
This is a simple, sweet story (160 pages) about a bookstore on wheels called Parnassus, the woman who buys it, and the man who can't quite give it up.
I love the heart in this story. The woman is described as a fat, middle aged spinster who has spent her youth as housekeeper to her bachelor brother. She impetuously buys Parnassus to spite him and in turn has an adventure of a lifetime.
Parnassus' owner is short and balding, with a red beard. He is kindly yet fiery, lonely and very literate. He stays with her and Parnassus for a few days for training purposes and ends up losing his heart.
Parnassus is a bookish escape and an adventure into the beautiful countryside, villages and farms thereabout. Any book lover will appreciate this almost fantasy existence. Who wouldn't love a bookstore on wheels, a bedroom nook inside, cooking over a campfire in the mornings with a faithful dog trailing beside?
Read and enjoy
CONTENT: Suitable for all readers
".…A good book ought to have something simple about it. And, like Eve, it ought to come from somewhere near the third rib; there ought to be a heart beating in it."
Check, check and check.
This is a simple, sweet story (160 pages) about a bookstore on wheels called Parnassus, the woman who buys it, and the man who can't quite give it up.
I love the heart in this story. The woman is described as a fat, middle aged spinster who has spent her youth as housekeeper to her bachelor brother. She impetuously buys Parnassus to spite him and in turn has an adventure of a lifetime.
Parnassus' owner is short and balding, with a red beard. He is kindly yet fiery, lonely and very literate. He stays with her and Parnassus for a few days for training purposes and ends up losing his heart.
Parnassus is a bookish escape and an adventure into the beautiful countryside, villages and farms thereabout. Any book lover will appreciate this almost fantasy existence. Who wouldn't love a bookstore on wheels, a bedroom nook inside, cooking over a campfire in the mornings with a faithful dog trailing beside?
Read and enjoy
CONTENT: Suitable for all readers
August 8, 2024
Parnassus (the mountain of the muses in Greek mythology) on Wheels is a fun little book not too much over a hundred years old now. The Greek muses were goddesses of the arts and sciences such as poetry, history, and music—nine goddesses in all. Parnassus here refers to sort of early 20th century bookmobile hauled by a horse named Pegasus—or plain Peg in this rural New England story.
This bookmobile belongs to a leprechaunish bookseller and then to a runaway farm woman. She’s running away for good reason. The bookseller is a bit of a well meaning huckster who reminds me of Professor Marvel in the movie Wizard of Oz. He roves the countryside selling books in his “caravan of culture.� Having decided to retire and write his own book, he crosses paths with Helen, who keeps house and farm for her literary, impractical brother. She concludes that it’s time for her own adventure, having been looked upon “as a kind of animated bread-baking and cake mixing machine.� By her calculations, she has baked more than 400 loaves of bread per year for 15 years.
The adventures begin. It’s sweet but not sappy. The ending might be a little abrupt but there is a follow up book that I’m looking forward to.
Thanks to GR friend Shauna for suggesting this book!
This bookmobile belongs to a leprechaunish bookseller and then to a runaway farm woman. She’s running away for good reason. The bookseller is a bit of a well meaning huckster who reminds me of Professor Marvel in the movie Wizard of Oz. He roves the countryside selling books in his “caravan of culture.� Having decided to retire and write his own book, he crosses paths with Helen, who keeps house and farm for her literary, impractical brother. She concludes that it’s time for her own adventure, having been looked upon “as a kind of animated bread-baking and cake mixing machine.� By her calculations, she has baked more than 400 loaves of bread per year for 15 years.
The adventures begin. It’s sweet but not sappy. The ending might be a little abrupt but there is a follow up book that I’m looking forward to.
Thanks to GR friend Shauna for suggesting this book!
June 28, 2024
تصل هذه الحكاية للكاتب من السيدة هيلين ميفلين و هي تروي قصتها مع السيد ميفلين و مكتبته المتنقلة.
تروي لنا "هيلين" مغامرتها التي غيرت حياتها. تعيش هيلين وحيدة في المزرعة بينما أخوها "أندرو" الذي تحول لكاتب مشهور فجأة يذهب في رحلاته لجمع معلومات لكتبه الجديدة. قضت سنوات عمرها الاربعين ترعي اخوها و تدير مزرعتهم و منزلهم و تجمع المال لشراء سيارة فورد D: حتي ألتقت بالسيد ميفلين.
كان السيد ميفلين من أشد المعجبين بأندرو الكاتب و ود لو يبيعه مكتبته المتنقلة. قرر السيد ميفلين السفر لحتقيق حلمه بتأليف كتاب لذلك فكر أن يبيع المكتبة لشخص مثقف كالكاتب أندرو لكن قابلته الأنسة هيلين و شرح لها فكرة مكتبته و مكانتها لديه.
"خطرت لي هذه الفكرة بمكتبة متنقلة. لطالما كنت محبَا للكتب، و في الأيام التي كنت أقيم فيها بين المزارعين، كنت اقرأ لهم بصوت مرتفع.. بنيت هذه العربة لتتناسب مع أفكاري الخاصة.. انقذت هذه المكتبة المتنقلة حياتي تقريبًا. "
و بسبب غيرة هيلين من أخيها و رحلاته بينما حياتها انقضت في انتظاره في المزرعة، قررت شراء المكتبة. اعتبرتها ثورتها الصغيرة علي عالمها الممل و تحكم أندرو بها و تمنت لو نجحت في ادارة المكتبة.
أما عن السيد ميفلين فهو شخص مميز.. بمثابة تبشيري متجول مؤمن بهدف نبيل و هو نشر الثقافة عن طريق قافلته الثقافية.. و رغم سنوات عمره الا ان حماسه و حبه للكتب لم يخمد.
" عندما تبيعين كتابًا لرجل، فأنتِ لا تبيعينه مجرد اثنتي عشرة اوقية من الورق و الحبر و الصمغ، بل تبعينه حياة جديدة بأكملها. الحب و الصداقة و الفكاهة و السفن في عرض البحر ليلًا، و السماء و الأرض بأكملهما موجودان داخل كتاب.. هأنذا أمضي محملًا بالخلاص الأبدي- الخلاص لعقولهم الصغيرة غير مكتملة النمو- و من الصعب حملهم علي رؤية ذلك."
يري أن نشر الثقافة بين سكان الريف رسالة سامية انسانية.. كما ان بيع الكتب مصدر سعادة بالنسبة له. يسعد باستقبال زبائنه من سكان الريف و استقبالهم الحافل له و تأثيره عليهم.. يتحدث عن الكتب بشغف حتي لتظنه بروفيسور. يمتلك مختلف انواع الكتب.
"لقد اعتدتم جميعًا مندوبي المبيعات و الباعة المتجولين و الأشخاص الذين يبيعون جميع انواع سقط المتاع.. لكن كم مرة يأتي أي شخص إلي هنا كي يبيعكم الكتب؟ اعتقد ان لديكم مكتبتكم العامة في البلدة، لكن هناك بعض الكتب التي يجب أن يمتلكها الناس. إن جميعها لدي هنا، من الكتب المقدسة إلي كتب الطهي."
يري ان الثقافة ليست حكرًا علي فئة معينة.. و أن الكتّاب أغلبهم مدعين ثقافة، بينما المثقف الحقيقي عليه واجب أشمل و أعم.
"جميعهم يتصورون حب الكتب، سرًا نادرًا و مثاليًا للنخبة، شيئًا خاصًا بغرفة المكتب المنعزلة.. لكم ما أقوله هو من عساه ذهب في أي وقت مضي إلي الطرق الرئيسية و الأحراش كي يوصل الأدب إلي الرجل العادي؟ كلما توغلت في الريف لمسافة أبعد، وجدت عددًا أقل و نوعية اردأ من الكتب.. لا أعتقد أنني وجدت كتابًا جيدًا حقًّا باستثناء الكتاب المقدس في أي مزرعة علي الإطلاق، ما لم أكن قد وضعته هناك بنفسي. أما زعماء الثقافة، فما الذي يفعلونه لتعليم عامة الشعب القراءة؟ لا جدوي من تدوين قوائم بعناوين الكتب،بل يتعين عليك الخروج و زيارة الناس بنفسك، و توصيل الكتب إليهم، و التحدث مع معلمي المدارس، و قص الحكايات علي الأطفال، ثم شيئًا فشيئًا، تبدأ في جعل الكتب الجديدة تجري في عروق الأمة. "
يناقش السيد ميفلين هيلين و يشرح لها وجهة نظره و مغامراته. يتعجب سكان القري المجاورة من هيلين و رحلاتها و يعتقدون أن السيد ميفلين قد اختطفها أو انها فقدت عقلها! كما نري موقف أندرو أخيها من المكتبة و حيل السيد ميفلين و نري رحلاتهم معا حتي يحين موعد سفر السيد ميفلين و داعه لهيلين و المكتبة.
استمتعت جدا برفقة هيلين و السيد ميفلين و رحلاتهم و مناقشاتهم و روح السيد ميفلين الطيبة و حبه و شغفه بالكتب و القراءة.
رواية بسيطة و تصلح لجميع الاعمار و كانت فاصل جميل بين روايات الجريمة. اختيار جميل من دار الكرمة و ترجمة أجمل من إيناس التركي.
November 27, 2024
فيه نوع كده من الروايات، بيكون لطيف للغاية، ولا هو قوي أدبياً ولا هو ضعيف لدرجة التفاهة! ينفع لليالي الشتاء المحاطة بدفء البطاطين والشاي الدافئ، تخلص في جلسة قراءة واحدة، وتنتهي بنهاية سعيدة!
December 11, 2016
Without ŷ friends I would never have been introduced to this utterly charming novella, written in 1917.
Perhaps it is less known than other books which we classify as "classics" because Parnassus on Wheels does not bridge adult and children's fiction, as do "Treasure Island" or "Huckleberry Finn". And it certainly isn't a windswept anguished romance, peopled by lovely young women as do the Brönte sisters' ilk. But it certainly stands the test of time, and for that alone, I must award it five stars.
Think "adventure". "Tom Sawyer" for the middle aged, the unglamorous, the least likely pair that you could hug if you met them in person. And books...a travelling gypsy caravan hauling classics and cookbooks, poetry and philosophy to rural America, where libraries were scarce and thirst for knowledge growing. Add a gentle mare, a friendly dog and descriptions of farm-style, "turn of the century" cooking - well, irresistible of course.
The style of writing is definitely formal, reflecting the era, almost prim actually but there are a few humorous earthy remarks easily missed because they too are couched in an indirect style. "By the bones of Hymen!", is a sly exclamation for which I can't find a modern equivalent, but it definitely is meant as an inside joke as the honeymooners make their way to announce themselves, with plenty of shock and awe.
There are archaic words, like "saleratus", an unfortunate flavour permeating a hostess' biscuits...which we know as "baking soda"! The language is dated yet endearing and part of the charm of this lovely little tale.
"The cultivation of philosophic reflection was a new experience for me."
"I was fanciful, I guess, and as romantic as a young hen..."
Miss McGill and Mr. Mifflin will be hard to forget. I recommend that you take the time to introduce yourselves.
Perhaps it is less known than other books which we classify as "classics" because Parnassus on Wheels does not bridge adult and children's fiction, as do "Treasure Island" or "Huckleberry Finn". And it certainly isn't a windswept anguished romance, peopled by lovely young women as do the Brönte sisters' ilk. But it certainly stands the test of time, and for that alone, I must award it five stars.
Think "adventure". "Tom Sawyer" for the middle aged, the unglamorous, the least likely pair that you could hug if you met them in person. And books...a travelling gypsy caravan hauling classics and cookbooks, poetry and philosophy to rural America, where libraries were scarce and thirst for knowledge growing. Add a gentle mare, a friendly dog and descriptions of farm-style, "turn of the century" cooking - well, irresistible of course.
The style of writing is definitely formal, reflecting the era, almost prim actually but there are a few humorous earthy remarks easily missed because they too are couched in an indirect style. "By the bones of Hymen!", is a sly exclamation for which I can't find a modern equivalent, but it definitely is meant as an inside joke as the honeymooners make their way to announce themselves, with plenty of shock and awe.
There are archaic words, like "saleratus", an unfortunate flavour permeating a hostess' biscuits...which we know as "baking soda"! The language is dated yet endearing and part of the charm of this lovely little tale.
"The cultivation of philosophic reflection was a new experience for me."
"I was fanciful, I guess, and as romantic as a young hen..."
Miss McGill and Mr. Mifflin will be hard to forget. I recommend that you take the time to introduce yourselves.
August 11, 2017
" ... when you sell a man a book you don't just sell him twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue � you sell him a whole new life. Love and friendship and humour and ships at sea by night � there's all heaven and earth in a book."
I read this delightful little novella this afternoon. I bought it at Parnassus Books in Nashville where they have loads of copies in stock at all times. It's clearly a shop favorite. 😉 Their own "Parnassus on Wheels" is a blue bus called Pegasus, Peggy for short.
I read this delightful little novella this afternoon. I bought it at Parnassus Books in Nashville where they have loads of copies in stock at all times. It's clearly a shop favorite. 😉 Their own "Parnassus on Wheels" is a blue bus called Pegasus, Peggy for short.
April 24, 2023
What a fun, light-hearted read for anyone with a book loving heart. A love story, an adventure story, a comedy, and an homage to books and authors, all rolled up into one fantastic tale. Just wonderful!
April 24, 2023. I chose to reread this after finishing a very intense book, just to rest my psyche a bit. Just as good 8 years later, so the first rating and review stand.
April 24, 2023. I chose to reread this after finishing a very intense book, just to rest my psyche a bit. Just as good 8 years later, so the first rating and review stand.
March 24, 2022
Middle-aged "spinster" Helen McGill goes on an adventure in a horse-drawn portable bookshop. A light-hearted, folksy adventure that made me happy.
April 18, 2015
Igual es un poco exagerado darle 5 estrellas, pero a mí me ha encantado y me he divertido muchísimo.
La historia es más simple que el mecanismo de un sonajero: nos habla de Helen McGill, que es una granjera junto con su hermano Andrew en la segunda década del siglo XX. Un día aparece un carromato, una librería ambulante, conducido por Roger Mifflin, quien pretende vendérsela a Andrew. Para, entre otras cosas, evitar esto, Helen decide comprar la librería ambulante ella misma y embarcarse en un viaje de aventuras junto a Roger, que es un hombre con una visión: llevar los libros a los campesinos, como un evangelista. Y la novela no tiene más, nos narra unas aventuritas muy simples y la relación que se va formando entre Helen y Roger. Y también nos habla de los libros y la literatura; de hecho, hay algunos párrafos muy buenos sobre autores y editoriales que están aún vigentes a día de hoy. Pero la narradora, Helen, te cae muy bien, y tiene mucha personalidad, y el estilo de narrar es entretenido y divertido y al final yo he terminado de leer con una sonrisa en la boca y una sensación alegre y optimista.
Es uno de esos libros, que como dicen los angloparlantes, te llevan a un "happy place". Es un libro agradable de leer, de aire inocente, muy simpático, que te mejora el día, aunque parezca mentira, con su combinación de comedia amable y personajes encantadores.
No es una de las grandes obras de la literatura universal, pero para mí ha sido un descubrimiento y mientras lo leía he pasado un momento genial.
La historia es más simple que el mecanismo de un sonajero: nos habla de Helen McGill, que es una granjera junto con su hermano Andrew en la segunda década del siglo XX. Un día aparece un carromato, una librería ambulante, conducido por Roger Mifflin, quien pretende vendérsela a Andrew. Para, entre otras cosas, evitar esto, Helen decide comprar la librería ambulante ella misma y embarcarse en un viaje de aventuras junto a Roger, que es un hombre con una visión: llevar los libros a los campesinos, como un evangelista. Y la novela no tiene más, nos narra unas aventuritas muy simples y la relación que se va formando entre Helen y Roger. Y también nos habla de los libros y la literatura; de hecho, hay algunos párrafos muy buenos sobre autores y editoriales que están aún vigentes a día de hoy. Pero la narradora, Helen, te cae muy bien, y tiene mucha personalidad, y el estilo de narrar es entretenido y divertido y al final yo he terminado de leer con una sonrisa en la boca y una sensación alegre y optimista.
Es uno de esos libros, que como dicen los angloparlantes, te llevan a un "happy place". Es un libro agradable de leer, de aire inocente, muy simpático, que te mejora el día, aunque parezca mentira, con su combinación de comedia amable y personajes encantadores.
No es una de las grandes obras de la literatura universal, pero para mí ha sido un descubrimiento y mientras lo leía he pasado un momento genial.
April 24, 2017
This was a delightful little treasure! Miss Helen McGill, spinster of 39 years, did not realize how tired she was of keeping house for her brother, until the offer was made to buy the book wagon, Parnassus, and she began to count how many loaves of bread she had made over the years! How Mr. Morley wrote such an early "feminist" book is beyond me but it was well worth the read.
Parnassus according to the dictionary: a collection of poems or of elegant literature. Miss McGill and Mr. Mifflin are wonderful characters and their adventures were quite comical.
As Mr. Roger Mifflin sums it up " ...when you sell a man a book you don't sell him just twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue-you sell him a whole new life. Love and friendship and humour and ships at sea by night-there's all heaven and earth in a book, a real book I mean. Jiminy! If I were a baker or the butcher or the broom huckster, people would run to he gate when I came by-just waiting for my stuff. And here I go loaded with everlasting salvation-yes, ma'am, salvation for their little stunted minds-and it's hard to make 'em see it. That's what makes it worth while-I'm doing something nobody else from Nazareth, Maine, to Walla Walla, Washington, has ever thought of. It's a new field, but by the bones of Whitman it's worth while. That's what this country needs-more books!!"
Parnassus according to the dictionary: a collection of poems or of elegant literature. Miss McGill and Mr. Mifflin are wonderful characters and their adventures were quite comical.
As Mr. Roger Mifflin sums it up " ...when you sell a man a book you don't sell him just twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue-you sell him a whole new life. Love and friendship and humour and ships at sea by night-there's all heaven and earth in a book, a real book I mean. Jiminy! If I were a baker or the butcher or the broom huckster, people would run to he gate when I came by-just waiting for my stuff. And here I go loaded with everlasting salvation-yes, ma'am, salvation for their little stunted minds-and it's hard to make 'em see it. That's what makes it worth while-I'm doing something nobody else from Nazareth, Maine, to Walla Walla, Washington, has ever thought of. It's a new field, but by the bones of Whitman it's worth while. That's what this country needs-more books!!"
July 16, 2022
4.5
This was a literary delight. A traveling bookstore on a horse and wagon AND a cute dog sidekick? Checks all my bookish boxes. Short review for a short book, but make sure you pick this one up!
This was a literary delight. A traveling bookstore on a horse and wagon AND a cute dog sidekick? Checks all my bookish boxes. Short review for a short book, but make sure you pick this one up!
February 19, 2017
Ah, delightful story! I read it through in one sitting (it isn't very long) and loved every bit of the tale of Helen, Roger, and Parnassus the bookmobile. Helen is growing deeply tired of tending her brother's affairs when she meets Roger Mifflin, who wants to sell Parnassus so he can go to Brooklyn and write his book in peace. Helen, in a streak of adventure, buys the mobile and sets off to become a bookseller.
I loved the descriptions—Helen is thirty-nine and "heavy" but shows plenty of sense and industry in her new adventure; Mifflin is forty-one, a "slight little man with a red beard" and a deep appreciation for literature. Parnassus is a funny wagon with covered bookshelves on the sides and living quarters inside...
Anyway, this is written in first-person y Helen, and her quick observations will soon have you chuckling indeed in enjoyment of this sweet little gem.
I loved the descriptions—Helen is thirty-nine and "heavy" but shows plenty of sense and industry in her new adventure; Mifflin is forty-one, a "slight little man with a red beard" and a deep appreciation for literature. Parnassus is a funny wagon with covered bookshelves on the sides and living quarters inside...
Anyway, this is written in first-person y Helen, and her quick observations will soon have you chuckling indeed in enjoyment of this sweet little gem.
May 30, 2018
Estoy casi seguro que el 90 por ciento de los que valoramos este libro lo puntuamos por encima de lo que objetivamente merecería comparandolo con el resto de nuestras lecturas pero que diablos, gracias que existen libros como este para disfrutar y terminar con una sonrisa cada uno de sus capitulos. Yo a muchos libros de los que pasan por mis manos si les encuentro un defecto y sobre todo en los de reciente publicación es que a veces tengo la sensación de que los escritores cobran de las editoriales por número de paginas entregadas y que a veces rellenan de forma innecesaria sus narraciones. En este caso ocurre todo lo contrario, te gustaría que el libro no terminara tan pronto. Afortunadamente existe una segunda parte que no tardará en caer.
March 31, 2024
[…] cuando le vendes un libro a alguien no solamente le estás vendiendo doce onzas de papel, tinta y pegamento. Le estás vendiendo una vida totalmente nueva. Amor, amistad y humor y barcos que navegan en la noche. En un libro cabe todo, el cielo y la tierra, en un libro de verdad, quiero decir. ¡Rempámpanos! Si en lugar de librero fuera panadero, carnicero o vendedor de escobas la gente correría a su puerta a recibirme, ansiosa por recibir mi mercancía. Y heme aquí, con mi cargamento de salvaciones eternas. Sí, señora, salvación para sus pequeñas y atribuladas almas. Y no vea cómo cuesta que lo entiendan. Sólo por eso vale la pena.
La librería ambulante marcó el inicio de mis lecturas del año 2024. Es una novela sencilla y breve que traslada al lector a los caminos polvorientos de las zonas rurales de Estados Unidos de principios del siglo XX para contarnos una historia entrañable en la que participan muy pocos personajes. Se trata de una comedia amable, de un libro dulce que invita al lector a ser optimista a través de las inesperadas aventuras que atraviesa Helen McGill, una protagonista cargada de personalidad y carácter, cuando tiene la suerte de cruzarse con una suerte de evangelizador de buena literatura que se dirige al campesinado estadounidense.
Este libro es, en resumen, una pequeña joya literaria que, sin grandes pretensiones, consigue fácilmente hacerse un huequito en el corazón del lector.
May 30, 2013
Not as smooth or clever as Morley's later writing, but very sweet and fun!
Come on, what book lover could hate a short novel about driving around in a horse-drawn wagon bringing books to the bookless?
June 19, 2021
Yo que soy muy dada a los dramas de vez en cuando necesito algo que me dé un respiro, y esta historia ha sido perfecta. Fresca, sencilla, divertida y muy entrañable, y además llena de libros, ¿qué más se puede pedir?
El señor Mifflin es el propietario de una librería ambulante, una especie de carromato con el que va recorriendo pueblecitos de Estados Unidos llevando libros a granjas y villas donde no tienen acceso a ellos. Pero un día decide que ha llegado el momento de venderlo y una casualidad hace que sea Hellen, una mujer de casi 40 años cansada de su vida dedicada a la granja y su hermano, quien decida quedarse con él. A partir de ahí seguimos a los dos personajes, que no pueden ser más entrañables, en sus aventuras con la librería ambulante.
Si buscáis algo que os distraiga, os saque una sonrisa y os deje con buen sabor de boca os lo recomiendo mucho.
El señor Mifflin es el propietario de una librería ambulante, una especie de carromato con el que va recorriendo pueblecitos de Estados Unidos llevando libros a granjas y villas donde no tienen acceso a ellos. Pero un día decide que ha llegado el momento de venderlo y una casualidad hace que sea Hellen, una mujer de casi 40 años cansada de su vida dedicada a la granja y su hermano, quien decida quedarse con él. A partir de ahí seguimos a los dos personajes, que no pueden ser más entrañables, en sus aventuras con la librería ambulante.
Si buscáis algo que os distraiga, os saque una sonrisa y os deje con buen sabor de boca os lo recomiendo mucho.
December 3, 2017
Solo me viene una descripción a la cabeza sobre esta novela: sencillamente encantadora. Me ha atrapado desde el primer momento
September 21, 2012
"What absurd victims of contrary desires we are! If a man is settled in one place he yearns to wander; when he wanders he yearns to have a home. And yet how bestial is content—all the great things in life are done by discontented people."
-- Roger Mifflin of Mifflin's Travelling Parnassus
This is a tale of adventure, and although actual mileage is accrued and county lines are crossed, it's really more a personal journey -- one woman's mission to travel outside her comfort borders.
For the past 15 years, all had been well in the life of Helen McGill. Having traded in the rigid demands of the city for simpler ways on a farm, she and her brother, Andrew, settled into a comfortable routine tending to the home, land, and animals. The farm was prosperous, but the work left little time for leisure and so the only "literature" to cross the threshold were government agriculture reports and the occasional Sears and Roebuck catalog. Though that was just fine by Helen because as she put it, "I was more concerned with sitting hens than with sonnets" and so they lived a quiet uneventful life and were...content. That is until an unexpected delivery of books arrived on the doorstep and brought her cozy little idyllic world to an end.
Parnassus on Wheels is a fun little book about books that can easily be read in a few hours. Though it was somewhat easy to foresee the direction of the plot, the witty dialogue and quotable passages on life and reading and love were more than enough to keep me interested and still reading. The wonderful message in this simple story is that books are capable of opening up whole new worlds in our lives. They are the gateways to adventure and knowledge -- taking us on unexpected journeys to places we might never have known.
I'll leave you with a favorite passage:
"I think reading a good book makes one modest. When you see the marvelous insight into human nature which a truly great book shows, it is bound to make you feel small—like looking at the Dipper on a clear night, or seeing the winter sunrise when you go out to collect the morning eggs. And anything that makes you feel small is mighty good for you."
I will be reading its sequel,, within the next few weeks which takes Helen's story to a bookshop in Brooklyn.
3.5
-- Roger Mifflin of Mifflin's Travelling Parnassus
This is a tale of adventure, and although actual mileage is accrued and county lines are crossed, it's really more a personal journey -- one woman's mission to travel outside her comfort borders.
For the past 15 years, all had been well in the life of Helen McGill. Having traded in the rigid demands of the city for simpler ways on a farm, she and her brother, Andrew, settled into a comfortable routine tending to the home, land, and animals. The farm was prosperous, but the work left little time for leisure and so the only "literature" to cross the threshold were government agriculture reports and the occasional Sears and Roebuck catalog. Though that was just fine by Helen because as she put it, "I was more concerned with sitting hens than with sonnets" and so they lived a quiet uneventful life and were...content. That is until an unexpected delivery of books arrived on the doorstep and brought her cozy little idyllic world to an end.
Parnassus on Wheels is a fun little book about books that can easily be read in a few hours. Though it was somewhat easy to foresee the direction of the plot, the witty dialogue and quotable passages on life and reading and love were more than enough to keep me interested and still reading. The wonderful message in this simple story is that books are capable of opening up whole new worlds in our lives. They are the gateways to adventure and knowledge -- taking us on unexpected journeys to places we might never have known.
I'll leave you with a favorite passage:
"I think reading a good book makes one modest. When you see the marvelous insight into human nature which a truly great book shows, it is bound to make you feel small—like looking at the Dipper on a clear night, or seeing the winter sunrise when you go out to collect the morning eggs. And anything that makes you feel small is mighty good for you."
I will be reading its sequel,, within the next few weeks which takes Helen's story to a bookshop in Brooklyn.
3.5
July 5, 2024
بتونس بقراءة الروايات الدافئة. 🤍
وهي سبب من أسباب حبي للقراءة وللحكايات وأكثر ما يلمس مشاعري أن اقرأ رواية بسيطة وقصة قصيرة تنتهي في وقت سريع ولكنها تركت بداخلي الكثير والكثير من المشاعر الرقيقة الجميلة، كانت خير رفيق في ساعاتي وستظل دومًا أتذكرها في أيامي.
في مكتبته البديعة المتنقلة بحصانه وكلبه الرائعين، كان روجر ميلفين يتجول بها وبيبع الكتب ويحمس الناس في كل بلدة يذهب إليها للقراءة، له قدرة ومهارة فائقة بلطفه وطيشه وحكمته في تكوين صداقات وعلاقات طيبة. كان لا يعلم أنه في طريقه سيقابل سيدة، مجرى حياتهم هما الأثنين سيتغير تمامًا، تنطلق السيدة ولأول مرة بقوة في مغامرة جديدة بعيدة عن حياتها وأن هذه المكتبة المتنقلة ستتجول في الطرقات ساطعة بالكتب والمغامرات والحب والدفء.
وأنا أيضًا الرواية غيرت مجرى يومي وأضافت لأيامي البهجة والسرور كل ما أتذكرها، جعلتني أريد أن أخوض مغامرة حلوة مع الكتب وبيعها.
الرواية من ترجمة إيناس التركي كانت جميلة كتير وحبيتها جدًا.
شكرا للصديق والكاتب والقارئ المميز على هديته الجميلة اختيار ممتاز.🌸
وهي سبب من أسباب حبي للقراءة وللحكايات وأكثر ما يلمس مشاعري أن اقرأ رواية بسيطة وقصة قصيرة تنتهي في وقت سريع ولكنها تركت بداخلي الكثير والكثير من المشاعر الرقيقة الجميلة، كانت خير رفيق في ساعاتي وستظل دومًا أتذكرها في أيامي.
في مكتبته البديعة المتنقلة بحصانه وكلبه الرائعين، كان روجر ميلفين يتجول بها وبيبع الكتب ويحمس الناس في كل بلدة يذهب إليها للقراءة، له قدرة ومهارة فائقة بلطفه وطيشه وحكمته في تكوين صداقات وعلاقات طيبة. كان لا يعلم أنه في طريقه سيقابل سيدة، مجرى حياتهم هما الأثنين سيتغير تمامًا، تنطلق السيدة ولأول مرة بقوة في مغامرة جديدة بعيدة عن حياتها وأن هذه المكتبة المتنقلة ستتجول في الطرقات ساطعة بالكتب والمغامرات والحب والدفء.
وأنا أيضًا الرواية غيرت مجرى يومي وأضافت لأيامي البهجة والسرور كل ما أتذكرها، جعلتني أريد أن أخوض مغامرة حلوة مع الكتب وبيعها.
الرواية من ترجمة إيناس التركي كانت جميلة كتير وحبيتها جدًا.
شكرا للصديق والكاتب والقارئ المميز على هديته الجميلة اختيار ممتاز.🌸
April 10, 2024
رواية جميلة دافئة ،تؤكد فكرتها على أهمية الكتب في حياتنا ♥️ و ذلك من خلال شخصية ميلفين المولع بالكتب و يبحث عن نشر أهميتها للقرى من خلال مكتبته المتنقلة ثم تتسارع الأحداث و مفاجأت غير متوقعة و نهاية سعيدة
أرشحها بقوة لكن يحب الأجتماعي الراقي الكلاسيك و المولع بالكتب أيضاً.
أرشحها بقوة لكن يحب الأجتماعي الراقي الكلاسيك و المولع بالكتب أيضاً.
January 17, 2022
Ameno e ingenioso.
May 30, 2014
Such a charmer. A must-read for any bibliophile.
December 9, 2013
Charming, simply charming! I don’t believe in all my readings over the years I missed this author. I’m totally in love with this short and sweet gem of a novella, published in 1917, almost a hundred years ago. I’m going to read more of Morley. I’m definitely reading the sequel � The Haunted Bookshop � as my 1947 edition of this book has both under one cover.
Despite its low page count, Parnassus on Wheels incorporates two interweaved love stories: a short, poignant romance of two middle-aged, lonely people, falling in love with each other, and a story of a man’s overwhelming love for books.
The male protagonist Roger is a 41-year-old bookseller, a reader and a dreamer. He lives in Parnassus, his home and bookshop � a capacious country wagon, stuffed with books. Roger’s life-goal is to disseminate his love of reading to as many people as he could reach. A born salesman in the best meaning of the word, he inspires people by his passion for literature. Wherever he passes � small farms and large towns � he always leaves behind books and newly-converted readers.
The female protagonist Helen is a 39-year-old spinster, keeping house for her farmer brother. A no-nonsense, practical lady, she doesn’t have time to read. Her life consists mostly of cooking, cleaning and other farm chores. On a whim, she buys Parnassus from Roger for $400 and embarks on a road trip of her lifetime: to sell books. Along the way, she falls in love with the bookseller.
The plot is simple, with no unneeded twists. The heroes just trundle along the country lanes, selling books and chatting, but I couldn’t stop reading and I smiled a lot. The adventures our travelers encounter are small, the obstacles mundane, but the inner lives of Roger and Helen are so huge and beautiful, they shine in the grayness of our humdrum existence: two twinkling stars stretching their rays of light towards each other across America.
My only complaint: Roger talks too much, with too many incomprehensible literary allusions, but like Helen, I sometimes tuned him off.
Otherwise, the writing is yummy, humorous and clear � a pure joy to read. The book is a hymn to booksellers, all the owners of small independent bookstores. And for the first time in my reading life, which has been quite extensive, I encountered an introduction to a book written not by a scholar or another writer but by a bookseller, Joseph Margolies. Among the quotes below, the quotes I had trouble choosing from so many captivating and insightful passages in the book, a couple belongs to Margolies.
From the introduction:
They [these books] should be compulsory reading for all booksellers and especially for those who are beginning to doubt that there is any romance left in the selling of books.
The greatest compliment one can pay to the business of bookselling is that although the monetary return is not great so few ever leave it for more remunerative work. Once the virus has entered the system there is not much that can be done to remove it.
I wonder: does Amazon count as a bookseller? What about big-box chain stores? Anyone there possesses that virus?
From the book:
“Lord!� he said, “when you sell a man a book you don’t sell him just twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue—you sell him a whole new life. Love and friendship and humor and ships at sea by night—there’s all heaven and earth in a book, a real book I mean.�
He laughed at his own vehemence. “Do you know, it’s comical,� he said. “Even the publishers, the fellows that print the books, can’t see what I’m doing for them � Sometimes I think the publishers know less about books than any one else! I guess that’s natural, though. Most school teachers don’t know much about children.�
“Judging by the way you talk,� I said, “you ought to be quite a writer yourself.�
“Talkers never write. They go on talking.�
There are three ingredients in the good life: learning, earning, and yearning. A man should be learning as he goes; and he should be earning bread for himself and others; and he should be yearning too: yearning to know the unknowable.
When God at first made man (says George Herbert) he had a “glass of blessings standing by.� So He pours on man all the blessings in His reservoir: strength, beauty, wisdom, honor, pleasure—and then He refrains from giving him the last of them, which is rest, i.e., contentment. God sees that if man is contented he will never win his way to Him. Let man be restless�
Two new funny words for me in this book:
Bunkum � empty talk
Parcheesi � a dice throwing game
Despite its low page count, Parnassus on Wheels incorporates two interweaved love stories: a short, poignant romance of two middle-aged, lonely people, falling in love with each other, and a story of a man’s overwhelming love for books.
The male protagonist Roger is a 41-year-old bookseller, a reader and a dreamer. He lives in Parnassus, his home and bookshop � a capacious country wagon, stuffed with books. Roger’s life-goal is to disseminate his love of reading to as many people as he could reach. A born salesman in the best meaning of the word, he inspires people by his passion for literature. Wherever he passes � small farms and large towns � he always leaves behind books and newly-converted readers.
The female protagonist Helen is a 39-year-old spinster, keeping house for her farmer brother. A no-nonsense, practical lady, she doesn’t have time to read. Her life consists mostly of cooking, cleaning and other farm chores. On a whim, she buys Parnassus from Roger for $400 and embarks on a road trip of her lifetime: to sell books. Along the way, she falls in love with the bookseller.
The plot is simple, with no unneeded twists. The heroes just trundle along the country lanes, selling books and chatting, but I couldn’t stop reading and I smiled a lot. The adventures our travelers encounter are small, the obstacles mundane, but the inner lives of Roger and Helen are so huge and beautiful, they shine in the grayness of our humdrum existence: two twinkling stars stretching their rays of light towards each other across America.
My only complaint: Roger talks too much, with too many incomprehensible literary allusions, but like Helen, I sometimes tuned him off.
Otherwise, the writing is yummy, humorous and clear � a pure joy to read. The book is a hymn to booksellers, all the owners of small independent bookstores. And for the first time in my reading life, which has been quite extensive, I encountered an introduction to a book written not by a scholar or another writer but by a bookseller, Joseph Margolies. Among the quotes below, the quotes I had trouble choosing from so many captivating and insightful passages in the book, a couple belongs to Margolies.
From the introduction:
They [these books] should be compulsory reading for all booksellers and especially for those who are beginning to doubt that there is any romance left in the selling of books.
The greatest compliment one can pay to the business of bookselling is that although the monetary return is not great so few ever leave it for more remunerative work. Once the virus has entered the system there is not much that can be done to remove it.
I wonder: does Amazon count as a bookseller? What about big-box chain stores? Anyone there possesses that virus?
From the book:
“Lord!� he said, “when you sell a man a book you don’t sell him just twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue—you sell him a whole new life. Love and friendship and humor and ships at sea by night—there’s all heaven and earth in a book, a real book I mean.�
He laughed at his own vehemence. “Do you know, it’s comical,� he said. “Even the publishers, the fellows that print the books, can’t see what I’m doing for them � Sometimes I think the publishers know less about books than any one else! I guess that’s natural, though. Most school teachers don’t know much about children.�
“Judging by the way you talk,� I said, “you ought to be quite a writer yourself.�
“Talkers never write. They go on talking.�
There are three ingredients in the good life: learning, earning, and yearning. A man should be learning as he goes; and he should be earning bread for himself and others; and he should be yearning too: yearning to know the unknowable.
When God at first made man (says George Herbert) he had a “glass of blessings standing by.� So He pours on man all the blessings in His reservoir: strength, beauty, wisdom, honor, pleasure—and then He refrains from giving him the last of them, which is rest, i.e., contentment. God sees that if man is contented he will never win his way to Him. Let man be restless�
Two new funny words for me in this book:
Bunkum � empty talk
Parcheesi � a dice throwing game
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